Healthy Vegan - Dirty Green Cauliflower Couscous and Courgette Salad

Cauliflower 'Couscous' or Cauliflower 'Rice' seems all the rage right now, but it appeared on humble blog in 2009 thanks to the vegetarian chef and cookbook author Rose Elliot.  But even then the real credit goes to one of the worlds famous chefs Ferran Adria and The Food at El Bulli Gourmet Restaurant.    

Early this year, I  was chatting to a fellow blogger, and we both mused how some food bloggers are acting that its their creation like baking  a jacket potato, putting vegetables into cakes or making vegan ice-cream from frozen bananas, never acknowledging or crediting origins or inspiration.  After all most recipes originate from somewhere, we all  - even I do it - put our twist on it, adapt it, enhance it, increase this ingredient, decrease that ingredient and so forth,  but its not often original.   Well Ferran Adria created and introduced foodies and popularized what we now call Cauliflower 'couscous' or Cauliflower 'rice', this idea of blitzing a vegetable to almost a crumb has now been extended to other vegetables like Broccoli - Yes there is Broccoli 'Rice' or Broccoli 'Couscous.  He is truly original and a culinary genius. I have no doubt that the credit for Cauliflower Pizza Crust, as well as those now made with Broccoli Pizza Crust, Carrot Pizza Crust, Sweet Potato Pizza Crust and Courgette Pizza Crust should all be traced back to him. He opened a culinary box of tricks to food bloggers, its just a shame its not often reciprocated.  

Anyway, this is a bowl of Dirty Green Cauliflower 'Couscous Salad blitzed in my blender. The dirty green from herbs and courgettes from my garden, enhanced by the piquancy of black olives. I scattered over some sunflower and pumpkin seeds too.  I had made a creamy tahini dressing to drizzle over it too (not shown).  

It made a pleasant change from the pasta salads we usually have for lunch at work and actually I felt quite healthy eating it.  I am sharing this bowl of Green Cauliflower Couscous Salad with Soups, Salads and Sammies hosted by Kahakai Kitchen; and Sunday Fitness and Food Fitness hosted by Marathons and Motivation and Ilka's blog.


Green Cauliflower 'Couscous' Salad
Serves 4 as an accompaniment
Ingredients
Half a cauliflower around 250grams and some fresh herbs like parsley or basil and Blitz to crumbs in a food processor. Set aside. 

Heat a tablespoon or two of olive oil, then saute 2 cloves of crushed garlic and saute until really soft but not burnt, then stir in quartered courgette for a few minutes until beginning to tinge, then stir in the processed cauliflower couscous and season to taste with salt and pepper.  Cook for a few minutes, before stirring in the chopped black olives.